Conference Championship Game Trivia Answers
Posted: Sun Jan 26, 2025 4:00 pm
I asked those questions about the history of the conference championship round.
Here are the answers:
1. Among quarterbacks who started the game and threw at least 15 passes, what quarterbacks hold the record for the highest passer rating for a single game in the NFC Championship Game and AFC Championship Game?
Highest NFC Championship Game passer rating: Mark Rypien - 1991
Highest AFC Championship Game passer rating: Jim Plunkett - 1980
2. Among quarterbacks who started the game and threw at least 15 passes, what quarterbacks hold the record for the lowest passer rating for a single game in the NFC Championship Game and AFC Championship Game?
Lowest NFC Championship Game passer rating: Pat Haden - 1978
Lowest AFC Championship Game passer rating: Richard Todd - 1982
3. Four teams have made it to the conference championship game or further after having a streak of five or more consecutive losing seasons beforehand. Name them.
NOTE: If you wish to consider teams that finished exactly .500 as losing outright, there are four, if not there are three.
The initial two I was thinking of were the 2017 Jaguars and 2021 Bengals, but the 1999 Rams also did so, and if we include teams with one .500 season in the half decade before, the 2011 49ers, 2019 49ers, and 2024 Commanders would qualify as well.
Each of them needless to say I’m sure felt like they came out of nowhere at the time.
4. Who is the winningest coach of the Super Bowl era who never coached in the conference championship game?
Marvin Lewis is the winningest head coach who never made the conference championship round. He coached seven playoff teams, and three other 8-8 teams. He won 131 games in the regular season in total.
5. What coach is the most games under .500 in the regular season who made it to the conference championship game at least twice?
Dick Nolan who coached the 1970 and 1971 49ers, but had a 69-82 record overall, so 13 games below .500. Looks like he coached some rather bad San Francisco teams after 1972, and the 1980 Saints which he finished his career with 12 straight losses coaching.
If the Bengals have a trash year next season, Zac Taylor could challenge this distinction.
6. What player has the most career rushing touchdowns who never played in a conference championship game or later?
Clinton Portis, whose best chance was in 2005 for Washington when they made the divisional round and lost to Seattle.
Had he stayed in Denver, he could’ve also played in the AFC Championship Game in 2005 with the Broncos.
7. What two players share the record for the most receiving touchdowns who never played in a conference championship game?
This distinction is shared between Calvin Johnson (who made the playoffs twice in Detroit, and who lost immediately both times), and Brandon Marshall who never made the playoffs in his career.
Marshall missed Denver’s postseason with Tim Tebow by two years, played with the Bears a couple years after their 2010 NFC Championship Team, the 2015 Jets who were 10-6 but unfortunately missed the playoffs, and the 2018 Seahawks made the postseason but he didn’t play every game (granted even if he made the playoffs with us, we weren’t that caliber of team at that point).
Talk about bad timing.
Either way, to those who responded, thank you for playing, now let’s all enjoy the conference championship games!
Here are the answers:
1. Among quarterbacks who started the game and threw at least 15 passes, what quarterbacks hold the record for the highest passer rating for a single game in the NFC Championship Game and AFC Championship Game?
Highest NFC Championship Game passer rating: Mark Rypien - 1991
Highest AFC Championship Game passer rating: Jim Plunkett - 1980
2. Among quarterbacks who started the game and threw at least 15 passes, what quarterbacks hold the record for the lowest passer rating for a single game in the NFC Championship Game and AFC Championship Game?
Lowest NFC Championship Game passer rating: Pat Haden - 1978
Lowest AFC Championship Game passer rating: Richard Todd - 1982
3. Four teams have made it to the conference championship game or further after having a streak of five or more consecutive losing seasons beforehand. Name them.
NOTE: If you wish to consider teams that finished exactly .500 as losing outright, there are four, if not there are three.
The initial two I was thinking of were the 2017 Jaguars and 2021 Bengals, but the 1999 Rams also did so, and if we include teams with one .500 season in the half decade before, the 2011 49ers, 2019 49ers, and 2024 Commanders would qualify as well.
Each of them needless to say I’m sure felt like they came out of nowhere at the time.
4. Who is the winningest coach of the Super Bowl era who never coached in the conference championship game?
Marvin Lewis is the winningest head coach who never made the conference championship round. He coached seven playoff teams, and three other 8-8 teams. He won 131 games in the regular season in total.
5. What coach is the most games under .500 in the regular season who made it to the conference championship game at least twice?
Dick Nolan who coached the 1970 and 1971 49ers, but had a 69-82 record overall, so 13 games below .500. Looks like he coached some rather bad San Francisco teams after 1972, and the 1980 Saints which he finished his career with 12 straight losses coaching.
If the Bengals have a trash year next season, Zac Taylor could challenge this distinction.
6. What player has the most career rushing touchdowns who never played in a conference championship game or later?
Clinton Portis, whose best chance was in 2005 for Washington when they made the divisional round and lost to Seattle.
Had he stayed in Denver, he could’ve also played in the AFC Championship Game in 2005 with the Broncos.
7. What two players share the record for the most receiving touchdowns who never played in a conference championship game?
This distinction is shared between Calvin Johnson (who made the playoffs twice in Detroit, and who lost immediately both times), and Brandon Marshall who never made the playoffs in his career.
Marshall missed Denver’s postseason with Tim Tebow by two years, played with the Bears a couple years after their 2010 NFC Championship Team, the 2015 Jets who were 10-6 but unfortunately missed the playoffs, and the 2018 Seahawks made the postseason but he didn’t play every game (granted even if he made the playoffs with us, we weren’t that caliber of team at that point).
Talk about bad timing.
Either way, to those who responded, thank you for playing, now let’s all enjoy the conference championship games!